Preview

Company of Heroes 2 preview

With such a storied legacy, how can Relic possibly build upon Company of Heroes? By taking the war to the Eastern Front, of course.

Andrew Yoon

May 22, 2012 9:00 AM

The first Company of Heroes game is beloved by many, and rightfully so. Relic Entertainment's World War II RTS pushed the envelope in so many ways, with its bleeding-edge tech and intimate focus on infantry-level tactics. Its campaign was ambitious as well, spanning the "greatest hits" of the Battle for Normandy. With such a storied legacy, how can Relic possibly build upon the formula? By taking the war to the Eastern Front, of course. With more than 30 million dead, the Eastern Front of World War II is largely considered the deadliest conflict in human history. Capturing the massive scale and brutality of that theater of battle requires brand new tech, one that should make the seven year wait for a sequel more tolerable. Taking place during the winter of 1942, Company of Heroes 2 will explore the "Rzhev meat grinder," a series of battles where the Soviet army lost a million men. And during gameplay, you'll see the many ways these soldiers lost their lives: grenades, tanks, and worst of all, Order No. 270. A cutscene showed this brutal order in action--proving Relic is unafraid to show the less-honorable aspects of this part of the war. Essence 3.0 is the new engine powering COH2, and thanks to DirectX 11 support, it looks terrific. But Essence offers much more than a shiny coat of paint. It also powers the real-time snow and fire effects, crucial to the sequel's gameplay. Snow is "not just a flat texture," Relic explained to us. Instead, it is a 3D object that players will have to deal with. Traversal will involve constant decision-making: do you take the open road, or risk being encumbered by walking through deep snow? In one battle, I saw a unit get decimated as they were unable to run away through the thick snow. Fire also plays a crucial role in gameplay, as buildings can be set aflame. Using a flamethrower, a Soviet soldier set a house on fire, causing black billows of snow to puff out the sides. Nazi soldiers were smoked out, and gunned down as they ran out. Soon afterwards, glowing embers started to appear, as the house lit up in a bright fire, smoldering moments later.

Flamethrowers play a big role in COH2

While navigating around the snowy environment is one of the biggest additions to COH2's gameplay, there are other changes to consider as well. For example, the game's signature cover system returns, but this time with the ability to vault over cover as well. However, the biggest change affects the "fog of war" system. Relic calls it "TrueSight," as your field of vision is determined by your soldiers' actual field of sight. Smoke grenades, fog, foliage, and buildings can obscure your troops' vision, and you'll only be able to see what they can physically see. TrueSight changes the dynamic of vehicles in the game. Getting ambushed by a tank, for example, will be devastating. However, the overwhelming power of tanks is offset by their poor vision. Although we only saw about ten minutes of the game in action, Company of Heroes 2 already has us excited. With a compelling new setting, beautiful visuals, and intriguing new gameplay mechanics, Company of Heroes 2 might just be able to live up to the original's legacy. Expect it on PC in 2013.

Watch the Shacknews E3 2012 page to follow all our coverage of this year's show. This preview is based on a hands-off demo shown at a pre-E3 event.

Andrew Yoon

Andrew Yoon was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

Filed Under

From The Chatty

Refresh Go To Thread

Shacknews

 reply
May 22, 2012 9:00 AM

Andrew Yoon posted a new article, Company of Heroes 2 preview.

With such a storied legacy, how can Relic possibly build upon Company of Heroes? By taking the war to the Eastern Front, of course.
- Begawkiness
  
   reply
  May 22, 2012 9:18 AM
  
  Fog of war changes should be interesting, can't wait!
- squigiliwams
  
   reply
  May 22, 2012 9:26 AM
  
  IN MY MOUTH PLEASE.
- Vogerl
  
   reply
  May 22, 2012 9:43 AM
  
  so they are going the "World In Conflict" route with the Fog of War.
  
  Innovation, everyone!
  - MercFox1
    
     reply
    May 22, 2012 4:45 PM
    
    Yeah I already played that game (and it was great)
  - thetangent
    
     reply
    May 22, 2012 5:34 PM
    
    Oh no, they're using a system that works and makes sense! It will suck for sure!
  - Sailor of Fortune
    
     reply
    May 22, 2012 6:43 PM
    
    You can go back to Close Combat 2 and 3 which have smoke and terrain affecting line of sight.
- dedgecko
  
   reply
  May 22, 2012 9:57 AM
  
  i'm so excited! all six of my nipples are tingling!
- RuskiSnajper
  
   reply
  May 22, 2012 10:52 AM
  
  Just keeps getting better!
- NFXFSX
  
   reply
  May 22, 2012 10:58 AM
  
  I can't wait. It is going to be amazing.
- daggot
  
   reply
  May 22, 2012 11:32 AM
  
  I'm kinda glad this is set for next year so I can rebuild my vacation time and plan ahead. Maybe it'll release in summer instead of the holiday season (never have time to play during the holidays).
- grabbie
  
   reply
  May 22, 2012 11:40 AM
  
  But i already played the Eastern Front
  
  http://www.moddb.com/mods/coheastern-front
  - Memphis-Ahn
    
     reply
    May 22, 2012 1:43 PM
    
    But this one has TECHNOLOGY.
- scary_monster
  
   reply
  May 22, 2012 4:30 PM
  
  Snow + Flamethrower = ?
  
  Also, with this new TrueSight fog of war, I'm guessing it would mean you will not be able to see anything behind your units. In that's the case I think it would be cool if there a unit formation which forced some of the units to face the other way and walk backwards together with the rest of the squad. Of course this can be used at the sacrifice of movement speed and may be crucial to use in situations where you really cannot afford to be ambushed.
  - scary_monster
    
     reply
    May 22, 2012 4:32 PM
    
    Oh and also, I hope the enemy AI also use this TrueSight fog of war so that you can actually sneak up behind them. I hope they can't cheat!
- abjectblitz
  
   reply
  May 22, 2012 6:48 PM
  
  If you are going to call the German soldier a Nazi, you should also call the Soviets Bolsheviks.